Tony Parker is the NBA Live 09 cover athlete
June 24, 2008 by pastapadre · 50 Comments
As seen in a promo video on Kotaku, Tony Parker has been chosen to be the cover athlete for NBA Live 09.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise as Parker has already become a staple on the French version of the game. Given the set of features announced for Live it definitely pointed towards a point guard so that part of it fits. However Deron Williams would’ve made for a much better choice.
That is unless EA plans to put Eva Longoria on the cover with Parker.
Madden 09 demo news
June 24, 2008 by pastapadre · 31 Comments
Since the NCAA Football 09 demo came out early many have wondered when the one for Madden 09 would be arriving. While nothing is certain yet they are working towards having one prerelease though it would be more along the lines of a week before unlike NCAA’s month before.
Interestingly it appears that EA Sports and 7-Eleven have teamed up for a Madden promotion. One aspect of that is a demo that can be picked up in-store prior to release of the game.
A first for EA Sports and exclusive to 7-Eleven is an Xbox 360 playable demo DVD of the game available before its Aug. 12 release date. The Madden NFL 09 demo, which also includes 60 minutes of NFL highlights, will be free with the purchase of a Madden Meal deal.
While it doesn’t specific a date this will be available it does imply that it will be early August. To be clear this does not explicity state that it will be the only way to get the demo. When they say it’s exclusive that could just mean as an in-store pickup while still being available for download on XBL and PSN. I’ll look to get some clarification on what this all means today.
Update: I have received confirmation that the demo will be available on XBL and PSN. The exclusive nature which is referred to has only to do with the NFL highlights that are included. As of yet there is no expected date for the demo to arrive.
Madden 09 celebration videos
June 23, 2008 by pastapadre · 47 Comments
More videos from Madden 09, this time showcasing some of the post-TD celebrations in the game. Previous discuss has centered around specific players having their own unique celebrations, the ability to “steal” an opponent’s celebration, and team specific celebrations such as the Lambeau Leap. Also there has been the community suggestion to have the option of turning off the boxes of light in the end zone that are designated for activating different which EA did listen to (they are not visible higher play styles).
IGN has posted examples of some of the different types of celebrations. Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, goal post slam dunk (shorter players will do a layup), and the Lambeau Leap are spotlighted.
The depiction of the Lambeau Leap is the one which will surely generate the most reaction. Unfortunately the Leap was not seen at the community event only to find out that it is some bizarre wall crawl.
Continue on to view the videos.
Madden 09: The lost Community Event videos
June 23, 2008 by pastapadre · 33 Comments
While going through the folder with all the videos I took at the Football Community Event I came across a handful that I hadn’t posted (most of the past videos can be found through here). These feature basic gameplay with Browns @ Cowboys and Seahawks @ Rams along with more Superstar mode footage as Jonathan Stewart.
Continue on to watch the four most recently added videos.
Random Topics for today
June 22, 2008 by pastapadre · 13 Comments
- The Nascar Paint Booth contest is being extended by another week as I’m currently unable to display the created skins. So continue to send in your pastapadre.com car designs to pastapadrecontest@gmail.com for a chance to win a $30 Amazon gift card. Read up on the full details of the contest here.
- IGN has posted up a video from NCAA Football 09 Campus Legend mode as a running back which you can check out here. Unfortunately they don’t go into detail on whatever improvements have been made to the mode. However from what I’ve played of Campus Legend and Superstar modes the better one will again be Campus Legend.
- I’ve added a new video from the NCAA Football 09 demo in the forum thread. This one is a first half which has a couple exciting plays. The previous full game video with an exciting ending can also be found in that thread.
- A couple previews have come out for the Wii versions of Tiger Woods 09 and NBA Live 09 from IGN. As with NCAA and Madden these two continue with the “All Play” options and style. Interestingly the WNBA is mentioned in the Live article. Considering the Wii’s graphics that is not going to be pretty.
- A few songs are now confirmed to be on the Madden 09 soundtrack. Shinedown with “Devour”, Rev Theory with “Hell Yeah”, and The Offspring with “Hammerhead”.
Full game of NFL Head Coach 09
June 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 33 Comments
NFL Head Coach 09 was a difficult game to jump into at a community event. The almost overwhelming number of options and the overall depth of the title was too much to experience in that short period of time and in that environment. My personal feeling was I would probably be SuperSimming most of the games but really get into the offseason and draft process. What’s great about Head Coach is there are several different ways you can play it. Whether it be in that manner or delegating to others in the organization and just managing the games if you wanted to, you can dictate the experience you want to have.
One thing that didn’t get shown out of the event was the process of actually coaching a game and seeing how it all comes together. Head Coach 09 designer Donny Moore has posted a video (broken into four parts) of a full game. You can watch the Patriots vs Dolphins from start to finish by continuing on and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.
UFC 2009 unveiled
June 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 38 Comments
The debut trailer and preview for UFC 2009 have just made their way out. The game, which has been in the works for quite some time, is set to release next spring.
The operative phrase that came up during discussion of the game was “Constant Control”, the idea being that a UFC fighter must constantly be aware of his surroundings and situation, and must be ready to act at a moment’s notice with a specific, contextual move, countermove, or defense.
I’ve always seen initial appeal in wrestling games but they’ve rarely kept my interest and usually been more frustrating than fun. UFC’s action could present a more enjoyable experience as long as everything flows together naturally. Continue on to watch the trailer which seems to show a lot of potential that could be realized.
NBA Live 09 cover athlete announced on June 25th
June 20, 2008 by pastapadre · 66 Comments
The website for NBA Live 09 went up today and includes the news that the cover athlete for the game will be revealed on June 25th. Also of note is that the game has an official release date of Tuesday October 7th.
Not much to read into as far as hints considering the ghosted cover art is the 08 Gilbert Arenas cover. Of the features announced to this point a guard seems to be favored if they are looking to tie the player into a theme. I’m sticking with my Deron Williams prediction.
As I’ve mentioned previously I have an opportunity to play the game on the 26th which incidentally is draft day. Early next week I’ll post for any feedback or suggestions to consider during my time with the game and the producers.
I’ve added a poll below to vote on who you think is most likely to be the cover athlete. I laid out my thoughts on this in my article a short while back which you can read here. So the poll includes the players I most likely feel it could be and the option for “Other” which you can specify the player in the comments.
NCAA Football 09 demo videos
June 20, 2008 by pastapadre · 64 Comments
I went ahead and put together two videos from the NCAA Football 09 demo. The first is essentially a mash-up of some of the better plays in the first couple runs through the demo. The second is a full game start to finish. In both I am controlling LSU so I plan to add a user vs user video in the near future.
It is somewhat tough to compare the demo to the builds I played at the community events, mostly because I never played a single time on Varsity difficulty. As I get more time in I may be able to put some thoughts together. The general sentiment out there so far seems to be positive which despite the issues myself and others pointed out was the feeling of those who had the opportunity to play it at those events. You can continue leaving your impressions here or in the forum.
Continue on to watch the highlight video and head into the forums to watch the full game. If you have any videos of your own feel free to add them to that forum thread!
NCAA Football 09 demo now available
June 19, 2008 by pastapadre · 200 Comments
The demo for NCAA Football 09 is now available for the Xbox 360 and as of this afternoon it is up for the PS3. The demo features LSU vs Ohio State and a mascot game with the Gators vs Longhorns. Both games have two minute quarters and are played on varsity difficulty level.
Feel free to leave your impressions of the demo in the comments or discuss the game in the forum. I’ll be posting up some videos from the demo this evening along with thoughts in general after the significant hands-on time I’ve gotten out of the two community events.
